The Extracellular Matrix Component Psl Provides Fast-Acting Antibiotic Defense in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms
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Billings-2013-The Extracellular Ma.pdf
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Author(s)
Ramirez Millan, Maria
Caldara, Marina
Rusconi, Roberto
Tarasova, Yekaterina
Stocker, Roman
Ribbeck, Katharina
Billings, Amanda Nicole
Date Issued
August 2013
Journal
PLoS Pathogens
Publisher
Public Library of Science
Citation
Billings, Nicole, Maria Ramirez Millan, Marina Caldara, Roberto Rusconi, Yekaterina Tarasova, Roman Stocker, and Katharina Ribbeck. “The Extracellular Matrix Component Psl Provides Fast-Acting Antibiotic Defense in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms.” Edited by Matthew R. Parsek. PLoS Pathogens 9, no. 8 (August 8, 2013): e1003526.
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Final published version
Abstract
Bacteria within biofilms secrete and surround themselves with an extracellular matrix, which serves as a first line of defense against antibiotic attack. Polysaccharides constitute major elements of the biofilm matrix and are implied in surface adhesion and biofilm organization, but their contributions to the resistance properties of biofilms remain largely elusive. Using a combination of static and continuous-flow biofilm experiments we show that Psl, one major polysaccharide in the Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm matrix, provides a generic first line of defense toward antibiotics with diverse biochemical properties during the initial stages of biofilm development. Furthermore, we show with mixed-strain experiments that antibiotic-sensitive “non-producing” cells lacking Psl can gain tolerance by integrating into Psl-containing biofilms. However, non-producers dilute the protective capacity of the matrix and hence, excessive incorporation can result in the collapse of resistance of the entire community. Our data also reveal that Psl mediated protection is extendible to E. coli and S. aureus in co-culture biofilms. Together, our study shows that Psl represents a critical first bottleneck to the antibiotic attack of a biofilm community early in biofilm development.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Biological Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Biology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1003526
